UPDATE - Suicide attack claims multiple lives in Afghan capital

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL, NUMBERS OF INJURED; ADDS CONDEMNATIONS BY AFGHAN GOVNT, TURKISH EMBASSY; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - A suicide attack close to a rally in capital Kabul killed six people on Monday, an official said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told Anadolu Agency that the lone attacker on foot detonated his explosives at a check point killing six people wounding twenty others.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

This comes as representatives of the ethnic Shia-Hazara community had gathered hundreds to demand action against ongoing Taliban assaults in three districts of central Afghanistan.

The spokesman said the rally had ended when the explosion occurred.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack in a statement.

Ghani said the terrorists can not reach to their goals by carrying out such criminal acts, and would have increased hatred among people towards them.

Afghan Chief of General Staff Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali told a news conference that special forces of the army and spy agency were dispatched to push back the rebels.

Yaftali also said that airstrikes would be launched against Taliban in Malestan, Jaghori and Khas Uruzgan districts.

Turkey has also strongly condemned the suicide attack that targeted peaceful demonstrators in Kabul.

“We wish Allah’s mercy for those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery for the wounded. Such barbaric attacks cannot undermine the resolve for peace in Afghanistan”, the Turkish Embassy noted in a statement.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed announced they had overrun the Malestan district killing 42 security forces on Monday.

According to the local Salam Afghanistan radio, the Taliban attacked Khas Uruzgan district a few weeks ago, killing and injuring 63 civilians during the conflict while attacks on Jaghori and Malestan began last week.